Gaming Convention Threatens to Boycott Indianapolis

Indiana - home of special rights for Christofascists

The Republican controlled Indiana legislature has passed a license to discriminate law that would grant special rights to Christofascists in order to enable them to refuse service to or interaction with those who offend their religious beliefs. It is part and parcel with the larger agenda of the Republican Party to shamelessly prostitute itself to hate-filled, ignorance embracing, knuckle dragging "godly Christians" in order to (i) protect its elected officials from primary challenges and (ii) get the spittle flecked, Kool-Aid drinking set to turn out on election day.  The tawdriest of whores is virtuous compared to today's Republicans.  But the political prostitutes may be hitting the first of many downsides of their disgusting self-prostitution.  The Gen Con gaming convention has sent a letter to Indiana governor Mike Pence threatening to pull its convention from Indianapolis if Pence signs the legislation into law.  Here are excerpts from Gen Con's letter to Pence:

“Legislation that could allow for refusal of service or discrimination against our attendees will have a direct negative impact on the state's economy, and will factor into our decision-making on hosting the convention in the state of Indiana in future years. . . .Gen Con proudly welcomes a diverse attendee base, made up of different ethnicities, cultures, beliefs, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds,” she wrote. “We are happy to provide an environment that welcomes all, and the wide-ranging diversity of our attendees has become a key element to the success and growth of our convention.”

We ask that you reconsider your support for SB 101.

Candidly, Pence is a nasty piece of work and he is likely to sign the bill.  If that happens, Gen Con needs to follow though on its threat and find a new location for its event.  Hopefully, other organizations will join suit and Indiana will pay a real financial price for its backwardness and bigotry.

P.S. For those in states that have enacted such laws, please read the language of the applicable statute carefully.  If the wording is broad enough, these laws need to be used to discriminate against far right Christians by citing "religious belief" - e.g., they are the modern day version of Biblical Pharisees and need to be shunned.  If (i) I lived in a state with such a law and (ii) I still had my own firm, nothing would give me more joy that showing a Chridstofascist to the door and telling them that they are unwanted.